September 20, 2011

Letting Go of Summer in Gasps ~ Raspberry, Almond & Buttermilk Cake

While most of you have seamlessly moved into the realm of crock pots and stews, I am still sorely clutching at the last remnants of summer with every gasping breath.

I have in my freezer a batch of summer raspberries that I froze a few weeks ago with the clear intent of baking into a cake for Mr. Hubbies office coffee break. It is a known fact that everyone is tightening their belt in these uncertain economic times and if there was proof of the icing being stripped away from the proverbial wheedling cake, it is Mr. Hubbies monthly contribution to the five dollar office coffee pool. And Mr. Hubby is no coffee drinker.

Others in our acquaintance have complained that long gone are the gourmet coffees with a selection of no less than twenty varieties and the poor souls have to now make do with just one! Slowly the Friday bagels that once provided the much needed morning sustenance has also been slowly easing out the front door only to disappear completely this year.

And so once in a while, I send in a baked treat to go along with the coffee and the tea that is now made desktop with Mr. Hubbies whistling electric kettle. An apparatus , from what I understand that is often the butt of office jokes along with the Mr. Hubbies tea drinking ways.

Once again, pragmatism is at the helm of the choice of cake - one that will withstand the crushing metro ride on the morning commute. And therefore a dense tea cake minus the fru-fru frosting seemed best. That and the fact that none of Mr. Hubbies colleagues seem to be the fru-fru cupcake types.

The idea of raspberries with buttermilk appeals to me at so many levels. For one thing, buttermilk adds an acidity to the batter and a zing of flavor that I think will pair quite nicely with the raspberries. I am also substituting some of my all-purpose flour with finely ground almonds (almond meal) to add more nutrition and flavor.

To begin, use a 9" non-stick spring foam pan. Take a piece of parchment paper and trace the bottom of the pan over it. Cut out the circle and line the bottom of the pan with the paper. Grease the pan with some non-stick baking spray so the lining will stick to the bottom without folding over.

Feel free to use your electric cake mixer- I am using my hand emersion mixer which works just fine for this very forgiving unfussy cake.

Preheat the oven at 350 deg F.

Almonds - If you have store-bought almond meal, ignore these steps. If you are using whole almonds like I am, proceed as follows-

In a food processor (I love my magic bullet for this), pulverize the almonds without adding any water to a fine powder.

Sieve into medium mixing bowl and return the residue in the sieve to the processor. Repeat the process 2 more times till you have very little residue left in the sieve.

Dry Ingredients - Place a sieve over the almond meal in the bowl. Add 1 cup all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt. Tap so the flour mixture falls into the mixing bowl. Discard any residue left in the sieve.

In a large mixing bowl, with an electric beater cream the butter and sugar till fluffly, light and creamy.

Crack & beat one egg at a time into the butter till thoroughly combined. Discard shells.

Whisk half the flour mixture into the wet ingredients, mixing till it is thoroughly combined but do not over mix.

Add the remaining flour and whisk once again. The batter will be quite thick.

Empty the batter into the prepared cake pan and using the back of the spatula smooth out the top surface.

Arrange the raspberries in a single layer over the cake batter.

Sprinkle the sliced almonds and brown sugar all over the berries.

Bake for 55-65 minutes or until the skewer comes out clean when inserted into the center of the pan.

Cook's Note - My oven runs quite hot and all ovens are different so check after 55 minutes and every 10 minutes as the cake in other ovens has taken as long as 1 hr-10 minutes to thoroughly bake & the skewer to come out clean.

Remove the pan from the oven and set aside to cool for about 10 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan and allow to slightly cool on a wire rack.

Cut into wedges and serve the cake slightly warm.

Sink into the taste of fresh raspberries in a lemon & almond flavored luscious cake with a dollop of fresh cream while sipping a hot cuppa. I hope that's what Mr. Hubby is doing as we speak and enjoying every bite!

The lasting taste of summer in every bite. Enjoy!

And then there was none!

This pic just received from Mr. Hubbies blackberry at work. All is well that ends well.

To begin, Take a piece of parchment paper and trace the bottom of the pan over it. Cut out the circle and line the bottom of the pan with the paper. Grease the pan with some non-stick baking spray so the lining will stick to the bottom without folding over.

Feel free to use your electric cake mixer- I am using my hand emersion mixer which works just fine for this very forgiving unfussy cake.

Preheat the oven at 350 deg F.

Almonds - If you have store-bought almond meal, ignore these steps. If you are using whole almonds like I am, proceed as follows-

In a food processor (I love my magic bullet for this), pulverize the almonds without adding any water to a fine powder.

Sieve into medium mixing bowl and return the residue in the sieve to the processor. Repeat the process 2 more times till you have very little residue left in the sieve.

Dry Ingredients - Place a sieve over the almond meal in the bowl. Add 1 cup all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt. Tap so the flour mixture falls into the mixing bowl. Discard any residue left in the sieve.

In a large mixing bowl, with an electric beater cream the butter and sugar till fluffly, light and creamy.

Crack & beat one egg at a time into the butter till thoroughly combined. Discard shells.

Whisk half the flour mixture into the wet ingredients, mixing till it is thoroughly combined but do not over mix.

Add the remaining flour and whisk once again. The batter will be quite thick.

Empty the batter into the prepared 9" non-stick spring foam pan, lined with parchment paper and using the back of the spatula smooth out the top surface of the batter.

Arrange the raspberries in a single layer over the cake batter.

Sprinkle the sliced almonds and brown sugar all over the berries.

Bake for 55-65 minutes or until the skewer comes out clean when inserted into the center of the pan.

Cook's Note - My oven runs quite hot and all ovens are different so check after 55 minutes and every 10 minutes as the cake in other ovens has taken as long as 1 hr-10 minutes to thoroughly bake & the skewer to come out clean.

Remove the pan from the oven and set aside to cool for about 10 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan and allow to slightly cool on a wire rack.

Cut into wedges and serve the cake slightly warm with fresh whipped cream.

Comments

While most of you have seamlessly moved into the realm of crock pots and stews, I am still sorely clutching at the last remnants of summer with every gasping breath.

I have in my freezer a batch of summer raspberries that I froze a few weeks ago with the clear intent of baking into a cake for Mr. Hubbies office coffee break. It is a known fact that everyone is tightening their belt in these uncertain economic times and if there was proof of the icing being stripped away from the proverbial wheedling cake, it is Mr. Hubbies monthly contribution to the five dollar office coffee pool. And Mr. Hubby is no coffee drinker.

Others in our acquaintance have complained that long gone are the gourmet coffees with a selection of no less than twenty varieties and the poor souls have to now make do with just one! Slowly the Friday bagels that once provided the much needed morning sustenance has also been slowly easing out the front door only to disappear completely this year.

And so once in a while, I send in a baked treat to go along with the coffee and the tea that is now made desktop with Mr. Hubbies whistling electric kettle. An apparatus , from what I understand that is often the butt of office jokes along with the Mr. Hubbies tea drinking ways.

Once again, pragmatism is at the helm of the choice of cake - one that will withstand the crushing metro ride on the morning commute. And therefore a dense tea cake minus the fru-fru frosting seemed best. That and the fact that none of Mr. Hubbies colleagues seem to be the fru-fru cupcake types.

The idea of raspberries with buttermilk appeals to me at so many levels. For one thing, buttermilk adds an acidity to the batter and a zing of flavor that I think will pair quite nicely with the raspberries. I am also substituting some of my all-purpose flour with finely ground almonds (almond meal) to add more nutrition and flavor.